


The 'F' Bomb

by InkM0nster



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Beca and Chloe are famous music producers and lyricists, Canon Divergence, F/F, Fake Dating, Famous Beca and Chloe, Set after PP2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2018-12-03 17:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11537202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkM0nster/pseuds/InkM0nster
Summary: They can totes pretend to be fake girlfriends, right? They can play up to the ridiculous engagement rumours some "closed source" has made public fact. They can keep up the pretence and come out emotionally unscathed. They can call it quits when the whole "Bechloe" nonsense forgets about them. Yep, totally.Or,It takes a series of denials and not-so-fake flirtations for them to sort it out.





	1. Rumours that are Rightly Wrong

The media had a knack of deducing the most ridiculous, far fetched assumptions one could make from the (lack of, or at least, in Beca's mind) evidence provided, especially when the subjects of the topic were as oblivious to the deductions as a snoring pig. And the worst thing is? Beca grumped, drumming her fingers against the wheel as their house loomed in sight, glaring daggers at its russet walls contrasting beautifully with the blue sky. They actually bought the rumours - and that was all they were - rumours, or so she internally repeated the mantra to the nth degree whenever she caught herself thinking in that direction. The forbidden more-than-friends-with-Chloe direction. Chloe. Friend. The word, for some reason, tasted bitter in her mouth.

Ok, Beca had to grudgingly admit that the almost all of the music videos which she and Chloe had collaborated together might have included content that bordered on the brink of friendship (the way Chloe's eyes trailed - hungrily? - down Beca's body when they'd reenacted the Titanium shower scene to pay tribute to their 'anniversary' of seven years of friendship, as Chloe put it, totally did not violate the friendship guideline. That video had a total of 153, 658, 785 views when was first uploaded, btw, - definitely the top hit for either them. Neither was Beca licking Chloe's face, once to clean the 'smudge' of birthday cake icing off her when they filmed "I'm yours" by Jason Mraz and the second time just for the heck of it. Nor was them gazing rather intensely into each other's eyes at the end of "The Rain Song" with 'matching besotted grins' - not her words - while standing under the same umbrella which Chloe held to shield them from the down pour cascading around them, enveloping them in a cozy atmosphere as the rain abused the flowers and grass and trees that decorated the meadow around them - yes, they actually waited for bad weather to film that song in. Nor was the wide known fact that they lived together in the same house, which they bought after Beca had graduated from Barden University and they'd decided to move in together, a fact the paparazzi had so pointedly highlighted after it became well known that they were the "best pitches a girl could ask for").

But to get to the point that a "close source" sparked a barmy rumour that she and Chloe was engaged?! They didn't even release an official statement that they were dating, for christ's sake! But the internet always assumed they were. Ok, yeah, they were both single and had been since they skyrocketed to fame and hadn't exactly made an effort to quell the rumours. They'd probably fuelled them instead, what with their rather flirty public tweets and photos they'd posted on on instagram and Twitter. But they shouldn't have gone so viral to the point websites like mirror.co.uk, marrieclaire.com, and even teen magazines had published the fact without their knowledge. And consent. Also, did Chloe even know about their Bechloe ship name?

Scoffing at the idiosyncrasies the public liked to shower both of them with, Beca parked the car and walked, actually - stomped, up the grass lawn to their front door. "Chlo! It's me!" Beca pounded on the door with unnecessary aggressive force. "I forgot my key!"

The footsteps that followed sounded a little bewildered and hesitant. "May I ask why you're trying to kill the lawn and the door?" Chloe said, looking a little surprised at Beca's livid expression, which immediately deflated as she let the warmth Chloe always exuded to surround her.

"I'm sorry, I'm just stressed," Beca sighed as she entered their home. "But have you seen-"

"-The rumours about us being engaged?" Chloe interrupted. "Yeah, I have."

There was a long silence in which both women avoided looking at each other. "What should we do about it?" Beca finally said.

Chloe turned to face her, looking unexplainably nervous. "I think debunking the rumours... wouldn't be the best option."

"Why not?"

"We'd break Bechloe's hearts," Chloe said softly, confirming Beca's suspicions that she did hear about BeChloe - well, that wasn't a surprise, she was always the close talker when they'd attended interviews together, so of course she knew more about it than Beca did. They both knew how much Chloe enjoyed flustering her (thanks, but no thanks, Chlo). "You do know how much they ship us, don't you? Like, as in, romantically."

Beca's eyebrows rose, trying to ignore the flutter in her heart at the notion. "Not until now."

"Anyways, I think the best course of action is to just play along with it."

"Huh!?"

"Why, I'd be offended by that expression had I not known you secretly love me."

"Um - no - that's not what I-" Beca spluttered, face going red as she tried to explain just exactly why that was the worst idea Chloe had come up with. The idea didn't cross her mind infinitely countless times in the past years.

Chloe rolled her eyes, though maybe to hide something which Beca had just caught a glimpse of. "Relax, Beca, I was joking." Despite the teasing lilt which Chloe was trying - and failing - to convey, the tone in her voice made it seem anything but.

"Fine. Let's say we went along with your plan. What're we gonna tell them when we call it quits?"

"When?"

"Yes. _When_."

There was a flash of something that passed in Chloe's eyes ( _Could it be... pain?_ ) "We'll decide something when the time comes."

 _This is a very bad idea,_ Beca groaned. As much as she was flattered that Chloe wanted to fake-date her if just to satisfy the insatiable Bechloe fandom, she couldn't help but wonder that this would leave both of them emotionally intact. But this... something, this game... had been brewing between them for seven years, both of them tickling a line which they never dared cross, dancing around it in endless circles until even they couldn't reign anything in anymore, not even from themselves. And when they were confronted face-to-face about "Bloe" moments - as Fat Amy dubbed them, the efforts Beca had put into quelling the forbidden thoughts only flew out the window. The consent part of her won over, and her stupid mouth blurted, "Ok." Beca nodded vigorously. "We'll play along."

Chloe's face broke into a wide grin. "Thanks, Becs, I owe you one. Oh, can you grab that plate for me? I'm hungry." She pointed at the cup sitting on the highest shelf which Beca could barely reach. Gee.

A little disoriented at the sudden subject change, Beca turned and complied, standing up on tiptoes to reach the desired plate. "Here," she turned around, only to gulp as her eyes zeroed in on the chest that moved suddenly in front of her, Chloe's body trapping her between the counter as she placed either hands on either side of Beca. "Um." Drowning in Chloe's blue eyes, it was all Beca could do not to drop the plate as her hands suddenly went numb, the tingling feeling spreading like pins and needles across her entire body as she fought not to succumb into Chloe's addicting heat. Chloe lifted a hand, gently brushing a stray of hair away from her face and hooking it behind her ear. The tip of her fingers meandered down Beca's cheeks, made its journey past her neck and her pulse point (which jumped when Chloe's fingers applied a little more pressure - and, judging by that smirk blooming on Chloe's face, she totally felt it), past her right shoulder, then down the length of her arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake, before finally grasping the plate which had miraculously stayed in Beca's hands. "Thanks, babe," Chloe threw a sassy wink at her, pressing a kiss to her cheek before flouncing towards the fridge and leaving Beca flabbergasted, standing there for a full minute and watching Chloe bustle about until her limbs finally obeyed her command to move. Babe? "Oh, by, the way," Beca paused and turned in the doorway to look back at Chloe, "I'm always just round the corner if you want to practice."


	2. Faking the Ring

"Yeah... No, I know exactly what I'm doing..." Beca groggily opened her eyes then shut them to shield them from the sun with an annoyed groan, blocking Chloe's voice out with a pillow over her head. As much as she loved the sight of a just-woken-up Chloe sitting up in the still warm duvet next to her (did she forget to mention that they also slept together in the same bed? Why bother wasting money on another bed anyways?) and nightgown riding up her thighs, she just wasn't a morning person - especially after a day like yesterday. "Look," Chloe's resigned sigh filtered through the pillow, "this is my only chance, ok?" _The only chance for what?_ "I know full well what the repercussions would be if that doesn't happen." Chloe paused. "Yeah, I'm all in with this... Ok... ok, bye." Chloe disconnected the call, placing her phone their night stand.

"Who was it?" Beca mumbled, voice muffled under the pillow. She squeaked in protest as Chloe yanked it off her face, a waterfall of red hair obscuring her sight as a 116 pound body sat on her.

"Our publicist called - she found out about the rumours yesterday night but she didn't call because she assumed we were, and I quote, 'shagging the night away.' I explained everything to her, of course," Chloe rolled on, not pausing to gauge Beca's reaction. "And she was just telling us that there's paparazzi camped outside our house right now."

"What?! Right now?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised they weren't here yesterday." Chloe laughed at the look of absolute horror crossing Beca's face - she really didn't want to deal with that right now. "Oh, honestly, of course they're not! They thankfully haven't bought the rumours yet, but they will soon when we go 'shop' for rings."

"Shopping for a fake engagement ring? Damn, Beale, we're going all out, I see." That flash of something crossing Chloe's face made Beca regret saying the words, but it was gone just as it came, leaving her wondering if it was just a figment of her imagination just like that time yesterday when she was determined that they would call it quits.

Chloe's sudden pout made Beca want to kiss it off her. "Still dropping the F bomb? You're such a... a... spoilsport."

"And you're a conundrum drowning in a puddle of sunshine, milady," Beca rolled her eyes fondly. "As fun as this is, would you mind getting off my legs before your glorious butt numbs it? I do need to take a shower."

Her expression was priceless as she finally got off, giving some relief to Beca's legs. "May I join you?" Chloe's voice called after her. "You know, to safe time and money."

"Umm... nah, that'll just take more time!" Beca yelled back. An evil grin curled her lips as she imagined the look on Chloe's face. Fine. If this was how Chloe wanted to play it, Beca would just have to amp up her side of the game. It was about time to turn the tides.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, after wolfing down a quick breakfast of the Ramsay-style omelette and bread breakfast, Chloe and Beca pulled up at the nearest ring shop, determined to go incognito. Equipped with scarves, sunglasses, huge hats, and worn out clothes, they stepped out of their car, breathing a sigh of relief when no one noticed them yet. It wasn't that they were embarrassed, but they were famous enough that they would attract paparazzi's attention like a rhinoceros stampeding across the streets, and they'd agreed to confirm the engagement rumours via Twitter and Instagram before someone else sold the story. Thank god the guy behind the counter didn't even blink when they entered into the mercifully empty ring store, though Beca caught a minuscule widening of the eyes and a flash of recognition passing before he wiped all emotions away, slipping his professional mask back on. Beca only hoped he wouldn't go blabbing before they were even out the store. "May I help you ladies?"

"We're looking for engagement rings," Chloe answered with a quick glance at Beca. "Something nice and simple, but elegant at the same time. Preferably silver in colour."

The salesman nodded. "I have just the type for you. Follow me, please." He led them to the back of the room, which had shelves aligned with a copious variety of gold, classic, platinum, and silver rings, all sparkling under the yellow light. "This row here," he pointed at the one nearest to them, "is the one that you're probably going for. All of these are light and elegant, simple but with intricately woven patterns. They're all platinum."

"Thank you," Beca said, pulling on Chloe's arms to drag her closer. "May we have some time to decide?"

"Please, take your time." The salesman bowed out.

"These're so beautiful," Beca murmured, entranced by the blinding dazzles. "It almost makes me regret..."

"Regret what?" Chloe's voice jolted her back to reality.

"Never mind." Beca's mouth twisted apologetically. "Forget I said anything."

Chloe gave her an inscrutable look. "Well, which one catches your eye?" she asked, expression clearing with a shake of her head. "I mean, they're all over $40, 000."

"We have enough money to afford that."

"I know, I'm still not quite used to it. Anyways, which one do you like?"

Beca pointed at the one closest to her which she had fallen in love with on first sight. _Emerald-cut Diamond Eternity Platinum Ring_ , read the tag besides it. _$45,098. The elongated, step-cut facets are guaranteed its timeless sparkle, elegant and sophisticatedly decorated with elaborate designs. Total carat weights will vary based on finger size._ "I love that one."

"Oh my god, me too!" Chloe barely contained the squeal of excitement as she grabbed Beca's waist to hug her tightly. Out of the corner of her eye, Beca caught the salesman's professional mask slip a little as he hid his lips behind his hands, no doubt trying to hide a smile as Chloe lifted Beca's hands to her lips, caressing her ring finger tenderly. Beca's heart tripped a little at the softness that greeted her, lips against skin. Already bringing up the game, Beale? "It's just so... so..."

"Chloe Beale, speechless?" Beca grinned at her as Chloe turned back to choose her pick like nothing happened. "Never in a million years would I have thought to witness a Chloe lost for words." Chloe mumbled something under her breath - which Beca lip-read, _There're_ _a_ _lot_ _more_ _ways_ _you_ _could_ _make_ _me_ _speechless_. Oh no. Red alert, stop creepily staring at Chloe's lips! "What do you want?" Beca said abruptly, forcing the Dark Playground out of her mind. "There's like, so much choices," Beca's hands flailed around as she gestured at the table. "I like all of them."

Typically it took a full thirty minutes for Chloe to reach a decision. "Emerald cut diamond ring," Chloe finally read the description to Beca's immense relief, who had spent the last ten minutes drumming her fingers on the glass, half fondly, half annoyed. "The elegant features of the ring is donned with a smooth cut, a platinum body, and accompanied with diamond-shaped patterns. It is light, simple, and eye catching. $46 895, but total carats will vary based on finger size. Well?" Chloe looked up to grin at her. "It matches with yours too!"

"I love it!" Beca grinned. "I guess we should pay now."

Waving the salesman over, they told him their choices, and he pulled out his keys to retrieve the rings for a more detailed consideration, which they confirmed in a minute. "Thank you, ladies," the salesman smiled at them after they payed. "Keep in mind that it will take a few days for us to send you your tailored rings. It usually takes us two to three months, but for you ladies we'll make an exception. It's not very often that we get celebrities as customers."

"If you could keep this low-key until the engagement rings arrive," Beca motioned between her and Chloe, "we'll really appreciate it. We don't want to get hounded by the paparazzi just yet - at least, not until we make our engagement public fact."

"I wouldn't dream of it. Live long and happy together, girls!"

Feeling slightly guilty, Beca and Chloe left the store with their disguises intact, heading to their car which was thankfully parked just across the road. Neither noticed a phone camera being pointed at them, or hear the click of the shutter that followed immediately after.


	3. House Arrest - AKA, The Renewal of the Flirtation Contract (if it ever was gone)

  
  
**Wedding Bells Tolling the Tune?**  
By _people.com_  
5/24/2019 7:25am PDT

Christmas time have truly come early to shower wedding rings upon BeChloe fans - the name derivative of music producers/lyricists/singers/dancers Beca Mitchell (21) and her long time girlfriend, Chloe Beale (24) - who were reported to be seen exiting Tiffany's yesterday for a purpose which left nothing to the imagination. It has recently come to light that the loved-up couple, who in numerous photos showed them flaunting their love for each other in full display for the world to see (to name a few: kissing each other's face, way to closely to the corner of their lips, sneaking a few gropes in, snuggling next to each other without a care in the world, and throwing heart eyes at each other 24/7), have recently popped the question and is planning to tie the knot. Fans have exploded with excitement and happiness for them, some with a dying wish to see little ones running around (who wouldn't?). No official statement is yet released.  
Think this is just a ruse? Please see the photo down below and notice the shop behind them. Nice try, girls, but paperbags, sunglasses, scarfs, and old clothes didn't garner the results - perhaps a invisibility cloak and some white wedding dresses would do the trick. We're looking forward your tour with the Bella's world tour next week! Throw some BeChloe duets in! Just remember: keep the eye sex PG 13, you two.  
  
  
"Fuck," Beca muttered the only thing that came to mind as she reached the end of the article. How dare they- the audacity of those vile, stupid little scoundrels! And they think the last two lines of sugercoating would appease them?  
  
"Language!" Chloe reprimanded, who was leaning against the couch, scrolling through her phone and reading who knew what. "What on earth are you 'effing' about?"  
  
"You were the first to find out about the engagement rumours, yet you didn't find out about this... this... atrocious invasion of privacy?! Jesus, you can't keep secrets around here."  
  
"I did already!" Chloe stared at her for a full minute, then raced to the window, parting the blinds to peak outside. "I spot the paparazzi just down the lane," she whispered, beckoning Beca to join her and take a peak. "I guess we're under house arrest until the rings arrive?" Her lips twisted to sneer at the camera. "Maybe if we're really really quiet, you know, they'll go away."  
  
Beca snorted. "That's never worked for me."  
  
"Just until the wedding rings arrive," Chloe pleaded. "Besides, we have another world tour in the next three days, so we might as well rest up and lie low for the next few days?"  
  
She took in Chloe's slumped form, tired and exhausted. It was so uncharacteristic of Chloe that it threw Beca off so completely, concern sweeping over her like an incoming tsunami thirsting for land. "Hey," she walked forward to kneel in front of her and taking Chloe's hands in hers, "I'm sorry I've been so difficult these past few days. It's just..."  
  
"I know." Chloe nodded, cutting off whatever she was going to say. "But we're in this together."  
  
"Together," Beca whispered. "Besides," her lips curled in an effort to lighten the mood, "I can think of worst ways to spend time." And she gave Chloe a suggestive smirk, and a complete Miranda-Priestly-style once over, then swept out of the room before dumbstruck-Chloe could formulate a coherent comeback.

* * *

  
  
The next few days were torturous. But it had little to do with the fact that they were forced to hide from the world - thankfully they'd just stockpiled enough food to last them a week; it had more to do with the fact that Chloe seemed to realize what Beca was playing at and was determined to drive her up the wall. She was suddenly walking around half naked, often wearing shirts with three buttons unbuttoned out of six (top ones, too); leaning across her to turn the page whenever they'd sit up in bed and shared a book and casually brushing arms across her chest as she did so; returning after a run in their personal gym downstairs, sweating like crazy and still managing to smell like the vanilla-grape soap they used. The sly touches intensified too, ranging from fingers stroking the nape of her neck when they were working on chords and melodies together to grazing the undersides of her breasts whenever they choreographed moves to accompany their songs. By the end of the day, Beca's mind would often be so wired up and her underwear so soaked that she was afraid a wet dream would seep into reality, waking up Chloe's smug sleeping form and only gods could imagine what her reaction would be.  
  
Each morning, the haze in her mind was still clinging to the after effects of dream-Chloe's touch lingering over her, of lips ghosting over her skin, of knees falling between her legs as she arched her back, searching for more, more, more, but dream-Chloe would always fade out of existence and leave her hanging whenever she reached for her to return the favor. Beca would jerk awake, heavily breathing and hair drenched with sweat. Every time, she would glance over at Choe to ensure that she hadn't woken up,  thanking her lucky stars that Chloe was a deep sleeper and had the gift of falling asleep anywhere, any time. But she might've just been a really good sleep actress.  
  
So it was inevitable when, on the morning the ring finally arrived - after five days of cycling through the torturous, libidinous loop of dream-Chloe, slyly-awake-Chloe, horny-awake-Beca, back to dream-Chloe - Beca woke up, to find her hands... one wrapped around around Chloe's breasts, one down... Beca chanced a look down at the sheets with a huge sense of trepidation... oh shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. Her other hand was somehow trapped between Chloe's upper thighs, dangerously close to _that spot_. And she had no way of retrieving either hands without awaking Chloe. Dear lord, the show wasn't even on the road and she was already molesting Chloe in her sleep. How on earth was she to survive the next few months? Answer: she wasn't.  
  
With infinite slowness, Beca attempted to withdraw her hand, freezing every time Chloe grumbled and - did she just moan 'Beecccaaaaa.....'? Please don't let it be cause she wouldn't be able to look her in the eyes till the end of time - until, she breathed a sigh of relief, both her hands were freed. Rearranging the covers over Chloe, she dropped a kiss on her cheek before hopping off the bed to take a long cold shower which had no affect on her hyped up sensations whatsoever. If she'd looked back, she would catch Chloe's eyes fluttering open and lips curved smugly. Unbeknownst to Beca, stage one of Chloe's Operation Seduce Beca was complete.  
  
"Damn it, Beale. You're going to be the death of me," she muttered under the shower spray, desperately ignoring the ache between her legs that showed no signs of disappearing even hours later.  
  
  
After her shower, Beca was racing downstairs to answer the doorbell, hair still wet and plastered to her face. Checking the window to make sure it wasn't paparazzi who got so impatient they simply decided to ring the bell (the horde was still camped across the road - seriously, did the police deal with privacy harassment?), Beca gingerly opened the door to find the postman handing her a package - which, as she glanced at the address, was from Tiffany's. Her heart leapt, then a wave of relief swept by her as she realized they wouldn't have to make up some excuse to tell the rest of the Bellas they were self-subjected to house arrest and couldn't attend their rehearsal scheduled today - saved by the bell. Surprisingly, everyone in the group had decided to pursue the same careers, enabling them to keep their group name alive until now and were now the world famous, grammy award winning music/dance group (take that, DAS Sound Machine). They hadn't told them in person, but knowing the subtle hints they dropped once in a while, they would definitely have heard about the engagement but was respectful enough to not bug them about it, which was proven wrong the next rehearsal.  
  
Signing the package, she turned around only to find Chloe inches away from her, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She gulped as Chloe's sky blue eyes pierced hers before tracing Beca's jawline, lingered at her cleavage, before finally landing on the package she held in her hands.  
  
"Is that it?" Chloe nodded at the package. "The rings?"  
  
"Um. Yeah."  
  
"Here," Chloe handed her the ring she chose, "it would be a little weird if we put it on by ourselves, wouldn't it?"  
  
Beca swallowed. The ring felt heavy in her hands, not light and free from guilt. It didn't feel right like that. But she complied, aware of Chloe watching her closely, as though committing everything to memory even though it was fake, fake, fake! Turning in the ring on Chloe's engagement finger, Beca felt as though even time itself was suspended, each jewel drop of a second laced with the underlying mantra that haunted her day and night.  
  
So immersed in her thoughts was she that she hadn't noticed Chloe's ring comfortably sitting there, and that she was just staring down at their intertwined hands. "Careful, Mitchell," Chloe said lightly, breaking her train of thought. "Or your eyes might burn a hole through."  
  
Beca flushed and dropped her hands. "Sorry. Um, isn't it your turn?" She watched her, mesmerized, as Chloe rolled her eyes and slid the ring in with such tenderness that Beca's heart ached with it. She ached because this was faked, she ached because Chloe was just going along with it just to satisfy the BeChloe fandom.  
  
She hadn't forgotten Chloe's offer to "practice" - in fact, it was all she could think about since then - albeit said teasingly and making her so confused whether Chloe was joking or not. Tossing caution into the wind, Beca lifted Chloe's chin with her free hand, not daring to breathe as Chloe gazed back at her with questioning eyes which, it must've been her imagination - dropped to her lips. God, she had always loved her eyes. They had the power to pull someone in with gravity like the black hole; drowning, swimming, soaring.  
  
"For practice," Beca murmured, then freed her other hand to cup the back of Chloe's head, pulling her down for a close-mouthed kiss that reverberated throughout her entire body as Chloe moaned and did something with her tongue that made the world spin and then her hands roamed somewhere and then Beca was tugging at Chloe's hips to press them together, heat shooting through her core at the contact then throughout her entire body and - yeah, she was fucked. 'A+' grade tackled with nth pluses after that entirely surpassed 'practice' guidelines.  
  
Step two of Operation Seduce Beca: complete.

* * *

 

 

 

* * *

  
  
Two Hours Later:  
After dodging the paparazzi and resisting the urge to run them over with her car, the first shriek (was it Fat Amy, or Aubrey?) that deafened them when they first stepped into the Bella's rehearsal room: "ACA-BHLOE?! ENGAGED!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just couldn't resist a little photo shopping...


	4. There's But a Fine Line

"WE DIDN'T-"

"OH MY GOD!"

"You're dating? Why didn't you tell - we didn't know you were-!"

"Before you say why you didn't know-” Beca held up a finger to stop whatever Emily was going through say,"it's because there's nothing to tell. We're not dating. We're not engaged. The engagement rumours were just sparked by a 'close source.'" Why did Fat Amy look so uncomfortable all of a sudden? "Sorry to disappoint you guys," Beca added. "But we're just fr-" The word stuck in her throat.

"Friends," Chloe supplied helpfully when Beca shot her a pleading look that clearly screamed 'Help!' "Friends."

"Explain to me what the hell the tweet three hours ago was, then," Aubrey demanded, fixing Beca and Chloe with an accusatory stare. "Because you yourself clearly said - what was _it_? - 'Dibs on who proposed first... #wedding bells.' So unless I have some serious reading comprehension issues-"

"Also, why does Chloe look like someone just killed her dog?"

"And why Beca couldn't say that word 'Friends?'"

"You take this one, Chlo," Beca groaned, shutting her eyes against the blinding headache that just started. "Got a headache."

Chloe pinched her nose and sighed. "Ok, so, I'm sure you're all aware by now of the huge BeChloe fandom out there."

Beca would've laughed at how comical the way realization was dawning on their faces had the situation not been so serious; it was a simultaneous widening of the eyes, followed by the dropping of the jaws, so widely Beca was almost afraid they would detach from their owners, then it was their turn to look like someone had just gobbled up their favorite food right in front of them without their permission.

"Let me see if we're getting this right," Aubrey narrowed her eyes at them. "Some 'close source' - you probably don't know who it is - sparked the rumour that BeChloe is engaged. And you decided to just go along with it because you think it'd be easier then just denying the fact?"

"Well, would you look at that. Aubrey Posen, the first to solve the riddle."

Chloe whacked her on the head. "Being nasty isn't gonna get you anywhere, Becs."

Beca stuck her tongue out at her.

"This chemistry... what a pity." Fat Amy was shaking her head, a mock-disappointed expression glooming her face despite the glint in her eyes that made Beca extremely weary of what Fat Amy had up her sleeve before her smirk gave way to a sad, understanding smile. "So, for the next few weeks, would you like us to play along? Pretend you're real-life fiancées? Lie for you?"

Beca winced. "Well... when you put it that way..."

"It's ok," Jessica spoke up for the first time since the entire exchange started. "Whatever you guys need. We're family."

"I..." Beca paused, feeling overwhelmed with guilt that had been eating her away since they'd confirmed their fake engagement online.

"I'm sure it's much more complicated than we know," Fat Amy murmured, reading Beca's face and stepping forward to take both their hands in hers. "But we're just worried about what'll happen in the next few weeks. How are you gonna seal the deal without either of you getting hurt emotionally? Are you really doing it just to cater it to the fans' wishes? Is this what you both want?"

And neither could think of anything to say.

"But, enough of sappy time," Fat Amy clapped her hands, breaking the tension like a knife as the others caught the cue and sprang into rehearsal mode. "We have a world tour next week and so much interviews in the upcoming days. We really do need to get on."

* * *

That night, Beca lay awake, staring at the back of Chloe's head and watching her shoulders rise and fall with each even inhalation. Fat Amy was right. Even though both of them had avoided the subject like a plague, they could feel something shift between them, and the awkwardness that bloomed up after they'd finished their rehearsal dissipated as quickly as it came - which Beca was extremely glad of.

Could they pull off the whole thing without talking about it? Could they pretend everything was fine when it clearly wasn't?

"Stop thinking so loud," Chloe mumbled, voice husky and slick with sleep. (Beca's stomach didn't somersault at all). "You might as well be shouting at me from the top of the world."

"I wasn't aware that you're telepathic."

Chloe snorted before rolling to face her. "This might help."

"Wha--?"

Chloe simply turned Beca around and moulded herself into her back, one arm sliding under Beca's neck and the other draping itself over her torso. Beca's breath hitched as she felt Chloe stroke her stomach - through the fabric, of course, but it eased when her thumb started rubbing soothing patterns that felt a lot like the words 'I' and 'love' and 'you' (sans 'n' and 'with'). _Pity_ , Beca thought, then drifted off to sleep, soothed by Choe's humming (Titanium). Don't judge. Friends did that too.

* * *

 "Rise and shine, rise and shine!" the infernal alarm clock sang, blaring its hideous siren and blasting the whisp of red hair and sky blue eyes away.

Beca's fist shot out from under the covers, slamming the snooze button to shut it up. Oops, did she break its will to live? But the time that flashed back at her was a revenge itself: 8:49 am. And their Ellen interview with the rest of the Bellas was scheduled at 10:30am. And it also took precisely an hour to drive there. And Chloe was still out like the lamp. Oh, this was going to be fun.

Well, there was no choice but to manhandle Chloe into the waking world (Chloe must've been really tired last night). "Wakey, wakey!" she said, shaking Chloe's shoulders. "Come on, sleeping beauty. We've got a little less then-" Beca glanced at the beside clock, "-one hour to get ready. Come on, up you go."

Chloe merely grumbled and rolled over, nearly dislodging Beca's position over her. Beca sighed. She really didn't want to resort to this, but this was an emergency. And it was a known fact Chloe wasn't a morning person.

Her fingers inched closer, and before she could change her mind, placed them on the hollow of Chloe's feet, a spot she just recently discovered was especially sensitive and ticklish. She trailed the tip of her finger down, then up, just barely refraining a giggle when Chloe's legs jerked in response. Chloe, however, miraculously slept on.

A different tactic, then (Chloe surely wouldn't mind). Beca let her hands sweep up Chloe's legs from the base of her feet, fingers dancing agilely along bare skin, which, even though Chloe was asleep, Beca could spot goosebumps erupting in its wake. Her hand made its way up... and up... and just as it past Chloe's hips, Chloe finally jerked away, face flushed and chest heaving and looking back at Beca with such _lust_ \- no, that couldn't be right. Beca snatched her hand away, face burning.

"What the hell?" Chloe's voice was a squeak.

"Sorry, but I needed an alternative to wake you up when shaking and prodding did not do the trick." Beca pointed at the time to cover the blush threatening to become a permanent sunburn. Chloe's eyes followed her finger. It now read 9:15.

Chloe jumped out of the bed as though she'd been electrified. "Get the car ready!" Chloe yelled at her as she raced to the washroom. "We'll just have to skip breakfast!"

"Hey! I need to shower too!"

"Use the other washroom!"

"Can't we share? To save time."

The clattering froze. "Well, it's nothing we haven't seen before. Hurry up!"

"Was just kidding!"

"You really need to work on your sense of humour, Becs-” A second later was pierced by a yelp, followed by a splash. "I thought you were joking!"

"You really should've locked the door, Beale."

(It was a very appropriate aca-shower Bhloe moment. They did nothing of the sort.)

* * *

 "Well, good luck on your tour next week! But there's just one more thing," Ellen said at the end of their interview, directing her smile towards Beca and Chloe, who was sitting next to each other and was flanked by the rest of the Bellas. "But I think all of us are curious here - wait, for those of you who don't know," Ellen turned on the screen projector which displayed their engagement announcement tweets. The audience cheered so loudly they could've brought the ceiling down. "These two got engaged several days ago! Congratulations!"

They sent Ellen simultaneous smiles. "Thank you."

"What we all want to know-" Ellen continued once the applause dimmed, "is how did it happen? Please enlighten us."

"It was fate," Beca answered simply, placing her hands atop Chloe's who interlaced them together.

Chloe gave her a look that made Beca tingly all over, and the entire world faded away, as per usual what happens whenever Choe's eyes greet hers. "I agree, babe," Chloe dipped her head to capture Beca's lips in an ardent kiss. Both was so absorbed in the kiss that neither noticed the audience leaping to their feet once again, hooting and cheering, almost drowning out Chloe's murmur, "We were fate."


	5. Day 0;  FA-CKing It

**10:30 a.m., pre-flight to Sydney, Australia. (Amy was thrilled.)**

Did Chloe mention procrastination was their thing? A thing that had nearly failed them in multiple events yet they had managed to scrape through. Also, denial - though Beca was probably much better at it - was one of their strongest suits. Which was probably what kept confrontation off the table.

But at least Chloe took the coward way out and admitted that 'I'm not in love with Beca' in front of the mirror, pulling rather hardly at her brush as she did so and eliciting an "OW!" loud enough that Beca came racing in, all concerned eyes crinkling at the corners and frantic 'you ok?'s. Her heart had given a furious thumb as Beca stepped behind her to do her hair, untangling the comb and gently running her fingers through it. That had to count as something... even Chloe wasn't that daft.

But back to flying articles of clothing that littered the floor as they cram-packed stuff into their luggage. Their stride, of course, had to fall short when Beca - being the more clumsy one of the two of them and especially prone to Chloe-related injuries (ahem, that trap net that stopped Beca from leaving didn't count), walked in on Chloe who was in the middle of changing her pajamas, stopped and gaped at Chloe unabashedly with a jaw dropping to the ground, then literally tripped on a bottle of shampoo lying haphazardly on the ground - how did she do that? - and would've fell face first on the ground had not Chloe, now completely topless and standing there in a black lacy bra, reached out a hand to steady her, only to loose balance herself and land with a thud on the thankfully carpeted floor, soft enough to cushion her fall with an addition of a equally shocked 105 pound body on top of her.

Chloe froze. Beca's knee had somehow shifted until it was pressed up against that spot between her legs, the other hand coming to 'rest' on Chloe's breasts, fingertips splayed across and around and drawing a breathy moan past her lips. Beca flushed bright red, no doubt feeling how hard the tips of Chloe's breast was, and she stared down at Chloe, unmoving, un-breathing.

Chloe could see her eyes flick to her lips and trail a searing gaze down her body that made wetness pool down there. A ring jolted them both to reality, and Beca jumped off her as though she had been burned. She fished for her phone in her back pocket and pressed the accept button. "Hello?" Beca's voice was uncommonly husky, and she blushed, coughing to clear her throat.

God. She wanted to do so much more to her to colour Beca 50 Shades of Permanent Red.

"Is there a reason why your voice sounded like you'd been having sex or something?" Fat Amy said by way of greeting, loudly enough that Chloe could hear that and a fit of giggles that erupted (probably the rest of the Bellas) through the speakers. "Probably with a certain Redheaded Ginger Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"Why, good morning to you too."

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS? We're supposed to take off in the next half hour! And it takes you guys an hour to drive to the airport! Is your limo here yet?"

Beca looked out the window. The limousine was, indeed, parked outside right now. "Yes, it is. Sorry, we overslept."

"Late night shenanigans?" Even Chloe could hear Amy smirking.

"As a matter of fact... yes."

A pin dropped. "Gotta work on your humour, shorty. Anyways, hurry up! Everyone's here!"

"Gotcha." Beca hung up and turned to face Chloe, and now they were both blushing as red as Chloe's hair. "Whelp. Guess we gotta hurry up, huh?" It was endearing how Beca had to physically raise her head up to chain her eyes to the ceiling as she reached down a hand to help Chloe up.

"Imagine what you could do to this body; you only have to ask nicely," Chloe whispered in her ear as she brushed past Beca. The very visible shudder was gold medal.

* * *

 Beca was going to knead Chloe in the mouth if she wasn't going to stop belting out Titanium every. Single. Damned. Road trip. With just the two of them. Not squirming was a feat Beca could never accomplish. What must the driver be thinking?

* * *

 "Finally!" Aubrey exclaimed, who had spotted them holding hands while fighting their way through the mob of photographers, paparazzi, and cheering bystanders, one of whom had shoved a picture of her and Chloe kissing at the Ellen show and unabashedly asked them both to sign it. Jesus. They didn't have a choice, now did they. "What on earth took you so long?"

"Well, we're here now," Beca's glare was interrupted when Stacie hounded on her.

"Anything you guys wanna do for them-” Beca needn't see who Stacie was nodding to to know who 'them' was, "-before we board the plane?"

"Not on your account," Beca snapped back. She turned to face Chloe anyways with a nervous smile.

Chloe rolled her eyes and grabbed a fistful of Beca's vest, pulling her forward and smashing their lips together in a kiss that was more intense and passionate then past ones, Beca's hands curling in Chloe's head and tongues prying the other's lips apart. The entire world faded away; away went the screams and cheers, away went Fat Amy's exaggerated gagging and the crowd laughing at her ridiculously animated faces. All she could focus on was Chloe's mouth working passionately against hers, tongues slipping and sliding against each other, tasting, exploring, familiarizing; of Chloe's hands creeping up her sides and playing at the edge of her bra.

A loud cough startled them out of their drunken haze. They pulled away slowly, shoulders heaving, staring into each other's eyes. "As much as we all love this," Stacie said, a shit-eating grin spreading across her face, "we can't have you guys too disctracted, will we? PG 13!!!"

Chloe rolled her eyes and intertwined Beca's hand in hers, leading her towards their private airplane. "Come on, guys," she called over her shoulder. "We've kept the pilots waiting long enough." Nobody commented on the drug-like sway that was more than evident when they leaned against each other for 'support'.

* * *

 **4:23pm: Mid Flight**  
"We never did discuss sleeping arrangements," Fat Amy piped up suddenly, popping the little bubble of peace that had surrounded Chloe since quietness descended half an hour ago, Beca's sleeping form draped accros her lap. It would technically be morning in Sydney by now.

"Oh?" Chloe raised her eyes to meet Amy's. "Aren't we just rolling with the way we usually do?"

"Well, before you two hadn't been engaged, Staubrey's eyes never made out, and Jessley hadn't been handed been holding hands more often lately. Don't you think our neighbors would be a little worried?" Said pairings spluttered in protest while Beca merely slept on. "Relax, guys," Fat Amy rolled her eyes at them, "there's this thing called Aussie Humour, you know."

"Yeah, and there's this thing called respecting privacy," Aubrey muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

"So, it's settled, then? Stacie and Aubrey, Jessica and Ashley, and me, Cynthia Rose, and Emily would share rooms? Cuz, you know, Mitchell and Beale would share a room like they always did, cuz that's what friends does. And there's two single beds." Chloe sighed as Amy wiggled her eyebrows yet again. "But only one is used," Amy loudly whispered to Emily and Cynthia, who giggled and nodded in agreement.

Chloe didn't know whether she loved or hated Amy right now.

* * *

  **Post-landing: Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Sydney**

After everyone had entered their assigned hotel rooms, Fat Amy turned and grinned at Cynthia and Emily. "Wanna make a little bet?" she asked them. "Which ship would make 69 first? Options are: #1- Staubrey, Jessley, Bhloe; 2: Jessley, Staubrey, Bhloe, 3: Bhloe, Staubrey, and Jessley. Your pick."

"Fifty bucks for #2," Emily immediately grinned.

Cynthia hesitated. "Forty for #3."

Fat Any let a grin curl her lips. "Number one it is, then. Tread very carefully. I'm the queen of ships."

 


	6. A (Not So) Gentle Push, a Secretive Declaration

Day 1:  In which Fat Amy's pickup lines rule

Perhaps it was due to the elation to be back in her home town, but Amy's Aussie humor worsened the minute the clock crowed wake up time. Beca, who'd been in a state of hypnagogia by the time the blaring began, jolted awake at the sound of loud footsteps thumping up the stairs and banging the door wide open to reveal Fat Amy grinning down smugly at them.

As for that smug look? It was probably due to the fact that Chloe was wrapped around her from head to toe, one arm draped across her torso, the other under her shoulder, and both their legs were intertwined so intimately that Beca could feel goosebumps starting to rise along bare skin.

Oh no. Fat Amy was never gonna let her live this down. "Chloe!" she hissed, shaking her by the shoulders and ignoring the flush of warmth that spread through her as Chloe merely mumbled Becaaa... and snuggled closer. Beca glanced quickly at those intrusive eyes sparkling with mirth and glee and resisted the urge to flip Amy the bird. "Wake up! Oh, so this is how you want to play it?" Beca grinned and leaned down as she noticed Chloe's lips twitch, as though resisting to smile which totally gave away the fact that Chloe was actually asleep. "Fine, played hard, I'll get you hard," she sighed and bent down, lips against Chloe's ear, and whispered in a voice so low Amy couldn't hear, "Do you want me to spank you? Is that it?"

And Chloe jolted awake, grinning sluggishly up at Beca before glancing up at Amy still standing there and noticing her up-to-no-good grin. "Hi Amy!" Chloe chirped. "Watcha doing here?"

"Oh, thank god," Amy said with an overly exaggerated relieved sigh. "I was worried you two would become a permanent epitome of a koala clinging to a fallen tree."

Beca buried her face in her pillow and groaned.

"Anyways, just came to wake you up cause, you know, Aubrey's gonna go over the choreography one more time before we get to the Opera house and rock it. Go shower! You both stink. Just don't drown under the shower spray, that's all. At least you both know how to swim." And with a hand motion making circles between the two of them, Fat Amy flounced off, leaving Beca and Chloe staring at each other until Beca groaned again and flopped down on the bed and refused to meet Chloe's eyes.

"She's gonna be the death of us."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later saw the limousine finally taking off to their performing venue. They'd gone over the set list one more time, and, surprise-surprise, the choreography mostly included Beca and Chloe joined at the hip as it had been during previous performances, and they'd even added a little solo ballet between the two while the others danced and sung behind them.

The story line was thus: upon agreement of the others, the first mix they'd open with would be a combination of melodic snippets from energetic songs, then an abrupt set change to Ed Sheeran's Perfect, then they'd morph the final lines "To Carry..." into a continuation of their own creation and singing to a tune Stacie wrote and the lyrics which Beca and Chloe came up with. The whole choreography of the opening would include perfectly synchronized dance moves before the group would part - asides from Beca and Chloe, who'd long since discovered that they were both equally adept at ballet (a skill which Beca's parents forced her to undergo and, despite her initial reservations, had come to enjoy the sport) and singing at the same time. The whole point of the ballet, of course, was to cater to the fans' wishes of seeing more Bechloe action and public displays of affection, though Beca had to admit that she wished that the whole thing could just eff off and she'd take Chloe there and then. Their repertoire included mixes from existing popular songs and original works.

The car was quiet as slight performance anxiety quelled all chitchat - a problem that, despite their many public life performances they'd executed perfectly, would, in Beca's mind, at least, never really cease to exist. Fat Amy was unusually silent and was leaning back against the car seat with her sunglasses over her eyes, Jessica and Ashley were sitting legs brushing as usual (something Beca had noticed as of late), and Stacie and Aubrey were, as usual, practically sitting on each other's laps in such close proximity that Beca was almost afraid to look in their direction lest she glimpse something that would inevitably fuel Stacie's innuendo-laden behaviour.

Their hotel was apparently 15 minutes away from the Opera House, and in the limousine, Beca found herself wondering the what ifs. What if... this was real? What if they really were... engaged? Hmmm, Beca thought, loosing herself in daydreaming. She would get to come home everyday with Chloe, the only difference being that she'd be able to kiss Chloe hello and goodbye without eyebrows shooting up and the possible chance of Chloe running away screaming. She would get to loose herself in Chloe's body heat as they snuggle up in bed at night, though that was something they did already, although perhaps without worrying about the stray hand wandering to forbidden places that made them both squirm. She would get to hold hands with Chloe down the streets without a care in the world, though they'd sometimes have to hide from paparazzi that would bound to stalk them when they didn't want them to. The downsides of fame.

A hand at her elbow jolted her out of her thoughts, and she turned her head to look at Chloe's eyes.

"We're here," she murmured, pointing to the red carpet stretched out in front of them as the limousine pulled up besides hordes of screaming fans.

Fat Amy jolted awake when Cynthia Rose poked her and grinned at Beca's still dreamy expression staring into Chloe's eyes. "Hey Chloe." Amy waited until she turned questioning eyes on her. "Do you know what Beca's favorite color is?"

"What?"

"Blue. And your eyes are the perfect shade." With that, Amy flounced off once again, ignoring the eruption of giggles erupting from the others as Beca once again rolled her eyes exasperatedly and shook her head, before stepping out of the car and holding out a hand towards Chloe to help her step out. Engulfed by flashing cameras and people thanking them for inspiring the gay community to come out, Beca and Chloe made their way into the theatre hand in hand, and Beca tried not to notice how perfectly tailored their hands seemed for each other.

_Later_. Save those thoughts for later.

* * *

  
And later turned out to be there on stage, with Beca and Chloe joined at the hip in a slow dance as the decrescendo of the outside world faded into silence, serenading each other with perfectly fitting lyrics that pretty much narrated their whole situation, staring into each other's eyes as Amy had, afterwards, pretended to gag at, though they all knew she loved the Bhloe moments as much as anyone else. Hell, she was the queen of them. (Beca had theorized whether or not the set list was a conspiracy to set them up to some ill-planned-out confrontation). 

"You know," Beca murmured to herself tentatively late that night, hours after ending their concert with loud cheers and standing ovations, hours after exploring the Sydney Harbour and watching sunset paint the sky orange, and hours after ogling at bikini-clad Chloe as they strolled Bondi Beach - which had thankfully only been interrupted by few requests for autographs before they'd had to call it a night, and minutes after Beca was sure that Chloe had dropped off to sleep, "this engagement doesn't feel so fake anymore."

Beca closed her eyes, full and content of the incredible food they'd eaten at the Paddington restaurant and a little tipsy at the cocktails they'd enjoyed. She didn't notice Chloe's lips curve into a smile and her arms tightening slightly around Beca in response.


	7. Days 2-5: Not-Whipped Maple Syrup, A Very Much Needed Eavesdropping, and Everything in Between

They awoke early a week after (during which time they'd explored every inch of Australia, including places like the Three Sisters in Sydney, the big giant red rock Alice Springs. Within an hour, they were speeding away to the Sydney airport on their way to tour Canada's most populated cities and provinces; Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. They'd somehow arranged a three-day tour afterwards in the heart of the North pole, because why waste the perfect opportunity to explore every nook and cranny the world's most prestigious tourist sites had to offer and maybe even catch a glimpse of those famous northern lights?

After the gruesome 14 hours flight from Sydney to Vancouver during which Beca tossed and turned in her seat (she'd never been able to sleep in airplanes for plane-phobia, a fact which Chloe had found utterly cute and adorable) and Chloe had clung herself to Beca with head lolling on her shoulder (to which Amy had made some vague remark about Beca being a whipped puppy because it was a known fact that she'd sock anyone else who used her as a pillow), they finally collapsed into their hotel room somewhere near the airport.

After a goodnight bid to the others, Beca dragged Chloe into their room and threw their luggage down on the bed, took quick a shower, and flicked through the channels until Chloe came out with dripping hair. Beca had to stop herself from ogling too hard at the way those flaming hair glowed in the soft golden light, the way that drops of water ran down the tendons of Chloe's neck.

Her not-perusal was interrupted when Chloe gave her a smirk and said, "See something you like?"

"Totes," Beca smirked at her in return. Because, screw it, Fat Amy's aussie humour was starting to rub off on her and she'd got to step up her game here. "You should show me some good time soon." And turning over before Chloe had the chance to reply, she switched off the lights with a click and enshrouding them in darkness, the only source of light coming from the hallway and maybe from the person besides her. Gah. When had she became such a sap.

* * *

 

And so their scheduled appearances went on. And with each performance, Chloe's touch would linger for a little longer, would leave a tingling feeling lasting longer and longer in Beca's heart, and with each performance it was getting harder and harder for Beca to resist the gravity of Chloe's eyes, which seemed to read deeper into her soul as they danced in each other's arms.

Beca was feeling guiltier as well. The amount of people that had came up to thank them for all they'd done for the lgbtq community was astounding. Amy probably sensed something was wrong, because she could feel her aiming more than suggestive eyebrows at both of them to which Beca would brush it off with her usual nonchalant air, and which Chloe would pretend not to notice though Beca caught the tips of her ears flaming the colour of her hair several times.

So she wasn't surprised when Amy finally snapped during  their last city on their Canadian list and pulled her off to the side after their performance in Saskatchewan, and without so much as a chitchat Beca winced the moment Amy opened her mouth. "Ok, shotstack," Amy nearly shouted and Beca whipped her head back, fearing that she'd catch a glimpse of the person that was no doubt the subject of this confrontation. "What, exactly, is going on with you and Chloe? And don't tell me you're not married already, cause I'm not buying it."

"Well, we're just fake-fiancées, aren't we?" Beca shot back, but only after making sure that the fiery redhead was not within earshot, or so she thought - if you'd had to find Beca these days (even more so than the time prior to this whole fiasco), all you'd had to do was look for a bubbly pool of sunshine splashing out a grumpy, grey cloud in a rate equivalent to the speed of light, so much so that said cloud, it'd be safe to say, had been completely dissipated.

Amy harrumphed and rolled her eyes, uncannily the perfect replicate of Beca's signature eye roll. "Sorry, try that again."

"Ok, but not here," Beca resigned, shoulders slumping at the futility facing the possible chance of escape and dragging Amy to the balcony outside where the plethora of clangs and shouts from screaming fans faded away.

"So?"

"I... don't know what to say."

Amy put her fingers to her lips in mock consideration. "How about... the fact that you're glowing like the moon during Chloe-time? Or that stars live in both your eyes whenever you so much as look at each other? Or the casual little touches that brush past like wind when you think no one is looking? Cause don't think I don't know what Chloe's hands were doing under the table when we were sitting around the dining table for lunch."

Beca gagged. "Rude! Did you stalk every not-couples you shipped?"

"Contrary to what you might think, I've never shipped anyone as hard as I did then you two." Amy sighed. "Look, I just think it's time you talked about it to _someone_ even if it's not Chloe. You've kept it bottled up since when? The last millennia?"

"Since the impromptu shower duet," Beca muttered, looking down at her feet because there was no way in hell was she going to meet Amy's eyes when she'd been right all along. When everyone else was right. "She's been ingrained into my brain ever since and I just. CAN'T. GET. HER. OUT. OF. ME!" Beca slammed her fists against the wall and let her anger and eight years of pain finally flowed free, her tears shuddering her sobs and shoulders shook, and she barely registered Fat Amy pulling her into a very much needed bear hug. "And... I'm just so, so afraid that if I tell her..."

"...You'll push her away," Amy finished when it was clear that Beca couldn't finish the sentence.

She meekly nodded.

"But you won't," Amy stressed. "I've seen how she looks at you, looks after you. And it's not some tragic, unrequited love that you undoubtedly think it is."

But a loud crash and a bang sounding suspiciously like gun fire followed, interrupting whatever Beca was going to say. It was followed by a high-pitched yell, a voice that Beca would recognize anywhere and any variety - sounded distinctly like-

" _Chloe_ ," they breathed simultaneously, looking at each other with panicked eyes. "Chloe's in trouble."

"Fuck," Beca cursed, and ran out the door only to be greeted by a sight that stopped her heart cold - a gunman, who'd somehow sneaked past security and made their way into the post-performance party, was holding a rifle at Chloe's head, and on his shirt, which was already dripping with flesh blood from gods know where, coloured the word 'dyke' in red.

"Chicago?!"


	8. A Not-so-empty Threat

_"Chicago?" three voices gasped in unison._ Why did he look so familiar? Beca's heart clenched as she flashed back to the day they'd bought the ring.

_"If you could keep this low-key until the engagement rings arrive," Beca motioned between her and Chloe, "we'll really appreciate it. We don't want to get hounded by the paparazzi just yet - at least, not until we make our engagement public fact."_

_"I wouldn't dream of it. Live long and happy together, girls!"_

_Feeling slightly guilty, Beca and Chloe left the store with their disguises intact, heading to their car which was thankfully parked just across the road. Neither noticed a phone camera being pointed at them, or hear the click of the shutter that followed immediately after._

Beca's heart pounded as realization dawned on her - there'd been a guy which she'd took the pains to glance at before they'd entered the shop and felt its presence after they left. The duchebag was a normal-looking guy dressed in jeans, accompanied with an atrociously oversized sweater, sunglasses that covered his eyes, and brown hair matted on his head. But just one glance at him had been enough to deduce that she'd recognized him pretty much anywhere they went, despite his lame disguise - from their previous red carpet duo appearances to strolls on the park. There'd always been this guy, lounging around with a scowl on his face and his hands tucked in his pocket and shadowing them wherever they went.

She remembered feeling vaguely nauseous whenever she caught a glimpse of Chili-wacker leering at her Chloe, whose name she learned when he sauntered up at them and, like everyone else who had been here for that matter, asked for their autographs which Beca preferably wouldn't have given.

But one glance at Chloe had her heart breaking a little, because Chloe was clearly flattered at the way Chicafugo was looking at her, like she hung the moon, but there was something in his eyes that made Beca shudder. Beca had resisted the urge to gag at the shy smile Chloe aimed at him in return. Granted, that encounter had happened a month before their fake engagement occurred, and that Beca hadn't brought up the stalker (whom she'd noticed months before) for fear of worrying over Chloe in case it was just a mere fanboy who had nothing better to do than stalk the beanstalks. But it still hurt nonetheless, and now, Beca was glaring daggers at Chicago - who the hell was named after a city anyways? - and sliding up in front of Chloe in a protective stance.

"Beca, _no_!" Chloe tried to elbow her out of the way, but Beca stood firm.

"Well, well, well," the scumbag cooed in a sultry sweet voice, gun steady in his hand and a sickly grin curving his lips. "What have we here? A lesbo dyke, no better than the whoring hole hoggers who so deserved to be shot at in Orlando."

"What do you want, sodding fudgewit city?" Beca spit back venomously with daggers in her eyes, not glancing around to notice that everyone around them had gone silent and was watching the scene unfold with wide eyes, nor the cameras that were being pointed at them both. Where the hell were the others? Please please please, call the cops, Beca's eyes tried to convey the message at Fat Amy, who nodded firmly in reply at her behind Chicago's shoulder and slipped away with her phone in her hand.

Chloe, once again, tried to elbow her out of the way. Beca, once again, stayed put and tried not to get sucked in by the protective arm curving around her stomach and Chloe's quick breaths tickling her ear, and she could feel Chloe's heartbeat accelerate as she pressed up against her. Beca gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.

She saw the beady little eyes tracking the movement. "Why, to have a little chat, of course." He paused. "About your... fake engagement." Gasps spread through the crown as the bombshell dropped.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You really should've been more careful, you know, when you were talking to Fatty here," and he indicated at Amy who'd returned from, Beca presumed, alerting the police. "Such a place as this? There's no place to hide," Chicago sneered and protruded out his cell phone. "I have all the evidence in this baby here. BeChloe fans would just love to know that you've been queer baiting them! Wouldn't they?"

"Oh, please, like you would care. And for the record, you know nothing. You're just wanting to get into Chloe's pants."

Chicago let out a harsh laugh. "You think this is what this is about?"

"Then why did you bother stalking us wherever we went?"

"And throwing heart eyes at me that I'll never return?" Chloe piped up for the first time, lips pursed.

"I was trying to make Beca jealous, you idiot!" Chicago finally burst out. "I, too, am a hardcore Bechloe shipper. I was hoping that by stalking you I could confirm that you're actually a real couple because, the minute you tweeted the engagement, I immediately knew it was a lie. All this?" He gestured to his shirt which, up to this point, was dripping with what Beca had assumed was real blood. "Is actually the stuff actors use to decorate fake blood when they film murder scenes. And this gun?" Chicago lowered it, finally, and opened its bullet department to show- "Nothing. There's no bullets in here. In fact, it's a fake one that's only looking real." As if to prove his point, Chicago pulled the trigger, and, even though Beca flinched a little, relaxed again when it ended in a empty resounding click that echoed through the room.

A collective sigh of relief filtered through the crowd, and both Beca and Chloe's shoulders slumped in relief, though Chloe didn't let go and tightened her hold on Beca instead. "Then what was this about?" Chloe's voice was hoarse.

Chicago smiled, and for once, Beca noticed how sweet it genuinely was. "Chloe's not my type. Far from it. I'm gay, by the way," and he flagged down the guy standing next to him and kissed him full on the mouth. "My boyfriend." Chloe and Beca gaped. "I think it's time for the full story.

"Fat Amy had been my childhood friend since the day we could walk. We kept our friendship low key, however, and we excelled at avoiding the public eye because we didn't want to arouse suspicions that we were boyfriend and girlfriend together - rumors which would never fade away, since Dan here was really the guy I'd been dating since high school and I'd been afraid to come out until now. It's something I owe you guys," he added. 

"Then I started hearing about all the escapades between you two, you know. Amy would come rant at me at any given moment, and she would go on and on about the little things you two would do to each other that would drive her up the wall. And the other Bellas, for that matter." He swivelled around to motion behind him and Beca's eyes followed his finger to where he was pointing - at the Bellas, who had escaped Beca's attention since this whole fiasco started. "You both intrigued me. And we came up with a plan that would hopefully finally get you two to realize how much you already acted like a couple.

"Hence the shadowing of you two that followed, with the help of Amy who'd bought and concealed tracking devices in both your closets. But you know what the interesting thing was? You acted exactly alike prior and post your engagement announcement. There wasn't a single thing I could decipher that was different, except perhaps the lingering looks that you no longer had to hide in public and the tension that oozed from both of you amounted to suffocating, though that was something that we all loved.

"And have you ever wondered what the close source that sparked everything that led up to this day? That was Fat Amy and I. We did it. And before Amy confronted you this evening-" he nodded at Beca, "-she messaged me in advance, telling me to set up the scene and go through all these fake blood stuff which I bought like a week ago when Amy told me to 'get my groove on cause I've got a plan,' one which, luckily, worked out because I was shadowing your tour since it started. And Beca's reaction was so genuine, so eager to protect you, Chloe, that you dumb chicken heads should finally be on the same page."

A myriad of emotions crossed Beca's face. On the one hand, Beca was flattered that they'd taken such pains to elevate their relationship to a new level; on the other, she felt furiously violated what with the lack of privacy they were provided. Before she could open her mouth, however-

-Another shot rang throughout out the room, and Chicago sprang into action, jumping in front of Beca and Chloe as a real bullet this time coloured his shoulder red. Crying out in pain, Chicago passed out on the floor and panic was written all over Dan's face, and a flurry of sirens whirled through the air as the police arrested the source that the bullet came from.

The next day, the CBC headlines read:

**Whew! That took a turn. Chicago takes a bullet for BeChloe. Michael Moses, CO-PRESIDENT, WORLDWIDE MARKETING of UNIVERSAL PICTURES, arrested for attempting homophobic murder on said couple.**

July 28, 2019

 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sure Michael Moses is a perfectly genuine guy in real life. Sorry, needed some venting after the way Universal queer baited the hell out of Bechloe fans.


End file.
